Young whites are leaving the suburbs

America's suburbs are now more likely to be home to minorities, the poor and a rapidly growing older population as many younger, educated whites move to cities for jobs and shorter commutes. An analysis of 2000-2008 census data by the Brookings Institution highlights the demographic tipping points seen in the past decade and the looming problems in the 100 largest metropolitan areas, which represent two-thirds of the U.S. population. The findings could offer an important road map as political parties, including the tea party movement, seek to win support in suburban battlegrounds in the fall elections and beyond. In 2008, Barack Obama carried a substantial share of the suburbs, partly with the help of minorities and immigrants. Analysts attribute the racial shift to suburbs in many cases to substantial shares of minorities leaving cities, such as blacks from New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Whites, too, are driving the trend by returning or staying put in larger cities. Washington, D.C., and Atlanta posted the largest increases in white share since 2000, each up 5 percentage points to 44% and 36%, respectively. Other white gains were seen in New York, San Francisco, Boston and cities in another seven of the nation's 100 largest metro areas. About 83% of the U.S. population growth since 2000 was minority, part of a trend that will see minorities become the majority by mid-century. Across all large metro areas, the majority of the child population is now nonwhite. The suburban poor grew by 25% between 1999 and 2008 - five times the growth rate of the poor in cities. City residents are more likely to live in deep poverty, while a higher share of suburban residents have incomes just below the poverty line.